George Abney, SC militia soldier of the Revolutionary
war, and one of the first settlers in Indiana., was born on February 14,
1752. Sometime before 1775, Abney moved to Sc around the Ninety six
region. On July 3, 1775, Abney participated in his first Indian battle
after joining a sc militia group under General Andrew Pickens. The
Cherokee Indians in the region started attacking settlements in the
Ninety six region in June 1775. In this Indian battle fought in July
1775, nearly 40 Indians were killed.
On November 19, 1775, Abney participated in the first revolutionary
war battle in Sc against loyalist in the Ninety six region. The Patriots
were soon able to defeat the loyalists. This would be the first battle
of over 400 skirmishes in Sc between the British and Sc militia
In December 1775, Abney participated in the Snow campaign where
Tory loyalists and Indians were defeated . This helped destroy the Tory
influence in the region around Greenville Sc until about 1780.
In October 1776, Abney joined an expedition against the
Cherokee Indians in Sc under General Andrew Williamson. Several Indian
Villages were burned to the ground during this expedition. Food and
supplies were stolen, and fields of Corn were burned with hopes of
starving the Indians to death.
On February 14, 1779, Abney participated in the battle of Kettle
creek Ga. Here the Patriot forces under Andrew Pickens were able
to defeat a Tory Force under the command of James Boyd. Kettle creek
would become one of the most important patriot victories in GA during
the Revolutionary war.
On March 3, 1779, Abney participated in the battle of Brier creek Ga.
over 400 patriots were killed when the militia was attacked during a
surprise attack by the British. Brier Creek would become one of the
worst patriot defeats to occur in the southern colonies.
From May 22- June 18, 1781, Abney participated in the Siege of Ninety
six Sc, the longest siege of any British fortification during the
Revolutionary war. the British inside Fort Ninety six wanted to
surrender,and had had been ordered to by General Rawdon In Charleston,
but the British inside the forts never received the orders because the
messengers kept getting captured bythe Sc militia.
Rawdon finally decided to mount an expedition against the Americans to
relieve the fort. Hearing of this expedition General Nathaniel Greene of
the American Army retreated from the area. Greene probably should have
stayed and fought the British. On the way to Ninety six, Rawdon developed
a heat stoke due to the high temperatures around 100 degrees.
In October 1781, Abney was discharged from the Sc militia at Anderson
mills Sc. Anderson mills, a local grist mill in Spartanburg Sc is also
famous for being the first courthouse of Spartanburg County Sc in 1785.
In 1782, Abney joined Pickens in one more Indian battle at long Swamp
Village in Canton GA. Pickens was able to defeat the Cherokee forcing
them to eventually give up most of their land in Georgia.
During the year 1818, Abney traveled through the Cumberland Gap on his
way to Indiana. Abney settled in Hamilton county Indiana. Hamilton
county Indiana had been created after the Treaty of St. Mary's which
forced the Miami Indians to give up all their territory around the
Wabash River. In 1822, Abney applied for his Revolutionary war pension
due to a disability that he had developed. Abney died sometime around
1835. Abney was a great revolutionary war soldier who fought in many
battles and later became one of the first pioneers In Indiana.